Live- Whisper Down the Amazon (4432)

Hi fellow Cruisers,

For those interested I will be writing a live blog on our 17 day cruise down the Amazon. Please be kind, we are not experienced cruisers like some of you on this forum.

Day 1

By way of an introduction, we are a middle aged couple (I call 64 middle aged) originally from the UK however, we relocated to a lovely Mediterranean island called Cyprus ten years ago. This is our 6th Silversea cruise we have not cruised with any other cruise line, this is our second time on the Whisper.

Monday 24th November: After a long trip from Europe (Cyprus) we finally arrived in sunny Barbados. We took a short taxi ride from the airport for our one night’s pre cruise stay at the Hilton Hotel Bridgetown, a comfortable hotel with our room overlooking the sea. The next morning we looked over the bay to see the Whisper docked and no doubt unloading passengers from its cruise.

At 13.00hrs (Tuesday) we left the hotel for the short drive to the dock to board the Silver Whisper for our 17day trip down the Amazon. The drive from the hotel in a private taxi costs 20 Barbadian dollars, about 10US.

Arriving dockside boarding was fast and efficient as usual with Silversea. As you may know by now you have to fill in an Ebola questionnaire (countries visited).

By 13.45 we were sitting comfortably on the pool deck enjoyed cool beer and a classic burger, we know how to live!

At 14.00hrs we were informed our suite (651) was ready. On entering the suit our pre ordered drinks were ready, happy days. We sat on our sunny veranda enjoying a Proseco while awaiting our suitcases. We don’t sail until 23.00hrs so plenty of time to relax and chill out. Bags arrived, unpacked introduced to butler, and ironed the crumpled shirts, muster drill 17.30.

The muster drill went OK as usual, 15 minutes is not much to ensure our safety while on board. Bit of a rush to our “meet and mingle” which was a bit of a letdown. With only six invited, two people couldn’t make it but we met one other lovely couple from the US.

So onto our first eating experience of the cruise. We decided to eat under the stars so we chose hot rocks on the pool deck. Great service, had a juicy rib eye and king prawns, washed down with a Chilean red wine which was not to my taste, but plenty more to choose from. After a night cap of a rather large Remy Martin it was off to bed, early night to catch up on lost sleep.

Hope we are not boring the pants of fellow cruisers? Please ask if you have any questions, I will try and answer them for you. Looking forward to day two already!

We did the same cruise on the Cloud last year.The itinerary is unique in the world of cruising and the weather was excellent.If your opening post is a sign of things to come dont worry it was great and informative.We look forward to reviving memories of our Amazon experience and hope you enjoy the adventure to the full.Dont miss the Opera House in Manaus and go in the morning to experience the orchestra playing. ENJOY!!

Thanks for the time to write and post your live blog.

Enjoy the cruise.

Keith

Hi fellow Cruisers, For those interested I will be writing a live blog on our 17 day cruise down the Amazon. Please be kind, we are not experienced cruisers like some of you on this forum.

Hope we are not boring the pants of fellow cruisers? Please ask if you have any questions, I will try and answer them for you. Looking forward to day two already!

Appreciate so much your postings!!! Great start to your reporting and sharing. Remember, it's YOUR postings with the style and approach that works best for YOU, fits your schedule, etc. We won't be bored!! Like soaking up any and all details, loves, surprises, tips, secrets, etc.

How full is your ship? Mix of passengers/nations on this 17-day sailing? Glad to hear that the "Hot Rocks" worked well.

As I have noted earlier, we are getting ready for a Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo back-to-back sailing on the Silver Cloud. It will be very much fun reading your comments, highlights and details as we work ahead for doing our research and planning!!

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 87,109 views for this posting.

I am looking forward to following along with your posts. We have been to Barbados--and stayed at that Hilton with a wonderful beach view. But we have not been to the Amazon. Very interested in hearing all about it.

Thanks for writing the blog. We did the Amazon cruise on the Cloud two years ago. It was a once in a lifetime experience!

Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

Make the most of deck time after dark as once in the river the outside deck is closed to avoid insects.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I anxiously await your reports. It is fun to read other people's perspectives on a common locale. When we went up the Amazon it was on the Cloud. I don't think you will get to experience Breves Narrows but enjoy everything! Don't miss the markets along the way.

Thanks for your posting and blog Fudge. Hope you have a great time.

Who is the CD and HD, and will you let us know what you think of the Voices.

Looking forward to following along with you. Have a great time!

Fudge,

It was great meeting you and Ms Fudge at our "meet and mingle" last evening. Looks like we are off on a great adventure which most people will never get to experience. We are very much looking forward to the next 2 1/2 weeks.

Daddyo.

Day 2 Wednesday.

Are we having fun yet??? YES WE ARE!

Thank you for your kind comments on Cruise critic.

Can I apologize from the outset; I am useless at downloading pictures so it’s the narrative only folks.

Stats: 331 passengers on board. 182 UK, US 48 (damn yanks get everywhere) 27 Australians and a full range of other Internationals.

After a very comfortable sleep we awoke very early and had hot coffee delivered to our room to start the day. The ship sailed at 23.00hrs last night, not that I noticed I was in dream land by then!

We are due to dock at Bequia (pronounced Beckway,) at 08.00hrs. Beckway is the Carib word for “island in the cloud” part of Vincent and the Grenadines. The Island is the largest and most populous of the 32 Islands and Cays that makes up the Grenadines.

Just a quick note to mention the internet. We opted for the all singing all dancing package unlimited for 272 US dollars. Up to now it appears to be working fine, a tad slow this morning is that because we are at sea? The only down side is you can only have once device on at a time so, you have to log off and your Partner logs on, bit of a pain but hey ho in the bigger picture.

Exercise: A nasty word for some, but in an attempt to keep the weight down we went for a brisk walk around the deck for an hour, bit shaky while at sea but we are determined to stick with it, (right let’s see how long that lasts?)

Well enough of that walking nonsense!!! It’s a balmy 29 degrees, lovely sunny day. For those interested its 9 laps per mile on the top deck. We are now docked off Admiralty Bay one of the prettiest anchorages in the Caribbean. The capital is Port Elizabeth, a tiny town with Bars and shops where you can buy handmade souvenirs; we will go later this morning by tender.

I think there are three launderettes on board with 3 washers and driers in each, only one iron though. We don’t have the free laundry privileges yet! Mrs Fudge gets a mention here, she is off already to get our first wash load done, good girl. We are lucky, there is one only a few doors down, does not open until 08.00hrs.

Well that’s breakfast over and done with, full English for me, eggs Benedict for Mrs Fudge.

Shore excursions: For those who chose to do, if you have not prebooked any excursions make sure you book as you arrive on the ship. You should book a day or two in advance to avoid disappointment, we have booked for a rum/beach 3.30hrs trip tomorrow, hope we get at least one free sample???

The trip to shore was OK but not much to see and do. The whole experience was one hour, nice to leave the ship however to stretch the legs. After a light lunch its sun bathing time, going through the cocktail list slowly.

We had a pleasant afternoon in the sun on the pool deck however, although there was plenty of staff on duty, in over four hours we were not asked for a drink, I had to go to the bar three times, okay four times.

We had a most enjoyable evening meal in La Terrazza but, the maître de gave us a mild rebuke for arriving thirty minutes early for dinner, naughty Mr and Mrs Fudge.

Good morning Fudge - What great reporting so far on your adventures in a wonderful part of the world. No doubt like Brimary we welcome your excellent narrative bringing sunshine to our wet and miserable UK. Keep up the good work.

We are following along too! I have had my eye on the Amazon cruise for a couple years now so very interested to learn about your experiences.

Enjoy :)

Thank you Mr Fudge. Brings back memories of our trip on the Cloud in 2012. Looking forward to your postings. Have fun.

Hallo happy cruisers,

Another sunny day, 07.00hrs here, looking forward to the day.

To answer a question above, the CD is Moss Hill, the HD is Lester Woodfall.

Catch you later.xx

I think the Head Bartender would like to hear about your deck experience. He will never know unless you tell him. It is helpful feedback, not a complaint. Keep enjoying!

Thanks fudge for your wonderful on board reports and taking y'alls cruise vacation time to post. Love it when another CC reports the metrics on completing a mile on board--and good tips for booking excursions when on board.

Keep up the good work on the exercise. Wes and I were the big fitness people on our TA cruise. He was always up at it earlier in the day than me though.

Hallo happy cruisers,

Another sunny day, 07.00hrs here, looking forward to the day.

 

To answer a question above, the CD is Moss Hill, the HD is Lester Woodfall.

 

Catch you later.xx

Many thanks Fudge. Would you like some of our Chilean rain?

Day 2 Wednesday. Are we having fun yet??? YES WE ARE! Can I apologize from the outset; I am useless at downloading pictures so it’s the narrative only folks. Stats: 331 passengers on board. 182 UK, US 48 (damn yanks get everywhere) 27 Australians and a full range of other Internationals. We are due to dock at Bequia (pronounced Beckway,) at 08.00hrs. Beckway is the Carib word for “island in the cloud” part of Vincent and the Grenadines. The Island is the largest and most populous of the 32 Islands and Cays that makes up the Grenadines. Just a quick note to mention the internet. We opted for the all singing all dancing package unlimited for 272 US dollars. Up to now it appears to be working fine, a tad slow this morning is that because we are at sea?

Appreciate so much these continued and wonderful updates, details, etc. Really helpful in building excitement for our Amazon adventure on the Silver Cloud starting Jan. 25.

Kind of impressed and surprised that your percentage of UK travelers is that high. That's 55% of the total passengers!! Wonder if our late January sailing will be so blessed with those interesting folks with the great English accent??? Love sailing, also, with those from Australia, etc. Glad to get the info for the use of the unlimited Internet, plus how to pronounce correctly "Bequia". Keep up the great sharing. As you can tell, you have lots fans following things closely.

Will share more info shortly for if you want to try posting some of the larger pictures on these boards. It's not that difficult if you follow the steps. Good that the unlimited Internet is working reasonably well under ship/sea conditions.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 164,717 views. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

I am useless at downloading pictures so it’s the narrative only folks.

badgerdee: We are following along too! I have had my eye on the Amazon cruise for a couple years now so very interested to learn about your experiences.

Below are some of my notes/tips in the event that Mr. Fudge and/or any others want to play with doing any larger photo postings. You'll have a number of sea days with this trip. Happy to answer any questions if you seek to do the photo postings. Love the narratives!!

For badgerdee' date=' there is still [b']plenty of time to do the Jan. 25-Feb. 11, 2015, Amazon River sailing[/b] over 17 days on the Silver Cloud. Same exact stops and schedule as those on the Silver Whisper will enjoy. It's 59 days to that late Jan. sailing, but who's counting.

For posting larger photos to these boards, your FIRST STEP is pick an outside web source that will store or “host” your pictures to be posted. Cruise Critic does not have the space to do larger pictures on their site. You can check such places as photobucket.com, imageshack.com, photoshow.com, flickr.com, picasa.google.com etc. I’ve used photobucket.com and have been pleased with how they upload, etc. SECOND, you need to make an export of your picture in a size such as around 1000 pixel wide by about 700 to your desktop of your computer. That’s the approximate size that I use for this purpose. If you make your file too big for posting, then it slows the process and takes long to upload, etc. THIRD, you use this outside web host to which you upload these different pictures sitting on your desktop. FOURTH, after uploading each picture, you will make a copy of that imbedded address in your file for future posting purposes. It will have have the square parentheses or bracket symbols before and after the capital letter IMG at the start and end of this location on your photo storage site.

Then as you want to post each different picture, you would, FIFTH STEP, copy and paste that imbedded address file for each picture as a part of your message on the CC Boards. In my files, I also have brief written description of each picture and have them grouped by the different city or country locations. With this imbedded file address, the reader on these boards doesn’t have to check on anything or paste to their web browser. It just pops up showing the picture. Does this help? Let us know on any added questions. It will hopefully pop up as these couple of pictures do below. You can preview your post to see if it's working OK before doing the actual post to these CC boards.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Dozens of nice visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc. We are now at 188,761 views for this live/blog re-cap, including much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

Terry, breathe...

Day 3 Thursday. Port of St Georges, Grenada.

Happy Thanks giving to all our American Cruisers.

Nutmeg, Cloves, Cocoa, those heady aromas fill the night air in Grenada. Only 21 miles long and 12 miles wide the isle of spices, a tropical gem of lush rain forests and white sand beaches. St Georges is one of the most picturesque harbours you could wish to find.

Grenada’s Grand Anse beach is one of the regions finest beaches. The Island has friendly hospitable people and enough good shopping, restaurants, historical sites and natural wonders to make it a popular port of call. About one third of Grenada’s visitors arrive by cruise ship and that number continues to grow each year.

Grenada’s capitol is a bustling West Indian city, narrow streets lined with shops; wind up, down, and across steep hills. Brick warehouses cling to the waterfront, and pastel painted homes rise from the waterfront and disappear into steep Green hills.

We are on our first excursion this morning. 3hrs 30 minutes to the rum distillery combined with time on the beach. (59US Dollars) I hear what you are saying, we are cheapskates.

So, after a leisurely breakfast in our suite (a first for us) very nice it was too, served by our charming butler Janice, after our daily exercise of course, we are now looking forward to soaking up the Grenada hospitality, the population is about 110,000.

The on shore trip was well worth the 59US. 15 minute drive to the Rum distillery, great tour about one hour. The distillery was formed in 1937 and makes between 350/400 thousand bottles a year, yes, we did get a taster! Onto a lovely white private sandy beach, complimentary sun loungers, two complimentary drinks, fantastic setting. Called at the shopping mall on the way back, the locals are so friendly and warm. You do feel very safe here, everyone is polite and helpful, the drawback is we sail at 16.00hrs, could have spent all day here.

13.00hrs, back on deck, more eating and drinking, you would think we were forced into this life style? Lovely sunny day once again, Mrs Fudge is getting a nice tan!

It’s our first formal night this evening, a chance for Mrs Fudge to look fantastic in her best frock.

Just a little ditty, our Captain on this cruise is Luigi Rutigliano, a lovely guy; we sailed down the Panama Canal in 2012 under his captaincy.

After a formal introduction with our Captain Luigi and senior members of the crew in the theatre we had a very pleasant evening with a couple from Sweden. Unfortunately their luggage never arrived before we set sail; they are remarkably cool about it, what a start to the voyage!

After dinner we returned to the theatre and were entertained by “the voices” three female and three male singers. They sang a range of classical songs from West End shows, a very nice end to the day.

Thanks for your continuing detailed updates Mr Fudge.